ASTER Chooses End-to-End Solution from NDS to Provide Next Generation Digital Cable TV in Poland
Polish triple play operator, ASTER, chooses a suite of technology
solutions from NDS
to enhance and grow its digital TV services
LONDON – January 29, 2008 – NDS,
the leading provider of technology solutions for digital
pay-TV, today announced it has been selected by ASTER, a leading
provider of media and
communication services in Poland, to provide the technology for
its next generation cable TV
service. It will secure ASTER’s digital television platform
and will allow the company to
launch new services including integrated digital video recorders
(DVRs) and Video On
Demand (VOD).
NDS is providing ASTER with VideoGuard® conditional access,
MediaHighway® middleware,
a customized electronic program guide (EPG), and a suite of interactive
technologies - all
top-ranking solutions in the global Pay-TV industry. NDS solutions
will allow ASTER to offer
its subscribers advanced services that maximize viewer choice.
ASTER will also have the
flexibility to introduce future enhancements including interactive
applications and other
services.
VideoGuard CA and DRM currently protect over 78.6 million active
digital set-top boxes
(STBs) worldwide. There are more than 69.9 million NDS middleware
clients deployed
worldwide, and NDS technology powers over 8.8 million DVRs.
NDS has a proven track record in the Pay-TV industry and helps
operators to launch
services that attract and retain subscribers. NDS is now implementing
a platform for ASTER
that will deliver enhanced value added services, in a secure
and robust environment.
“We found NDS solutions to be the best for our business
strategy to deliver the next
generation services that we require,” said Marek Bury,
Strategy and Development Director of
ASTER “NDS shared its roadmap and vision for the broadcast
industry, and we are confident
that we will have the flexibility to provide our viewers with
the industry’s best digital TV
services.”
ASTER is the largest cable TV provider in Warsaw, Poland’s
capital, and the fourth largest
operator in the country. The NDS portfolio will allow ASTER to
migrate analog subscribers
faster to digital TV. Its subscriber base includes 370,000 pay-TV
subscribers, of whom
55,000 have digital services. ASTER also provides services to
130,000 internet subscribers
and over 50,000 telephony subscribers. ASTER will begin rolling
out new services in 2008. It
plans to offer subscribers a choice of new set-top boxes provided
by Kaon Media, including a
High Definition DVR.
“ASTER has a solid vision for the future and has set itself
very aggressive growth targets,”
said Jeremy Maddocks, NDS Business Development Director for Central
and Eastern Europe. “ASTER recognizes that in a competitive
market such as Poland, it is critical to offer
industry-leading services to build a loyal customer base. And
this has to be supported with a
reliable infrastructure and security.”
About ASTER
ASTER has been operating in the telecommunications market since
1994 and provides its
services in Warsaw, Cracow and Zielona Gora. ASTER possesses
one of the most
advanced networks in Europe that ensures high throughput rates,
allows transmission of
different types of signals and, as a consequence, offers a variety
of multimedia services.
Investment in upgrading technologies and solutions has enabled
ASTER to offer services on
the highest level. For more information about ASTER visit www.aster.pl
About NDS
NDS Group plc (NASDAQ: NNDS), a majority owned subsidiary of
News Corporation, supplies
open end-to-end digital technology and services to pay-television
platform operators and content
providers. See www.nds.com for more information about NDS.
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